Unleashing the Santa in every block of wood Castlegar News

Christmas may be a longtime
coming, but not for artist Dave Francis who deals with Santa Claus on a daily
basis. Dave’s wood carvings range in price from $40 for a tree ornament to $900
for a full size figurine. For info check
www.snowcottagecarvings.com

GEOFF MUELLER
News Reporter

One’s a multi-billion dollar
software mogul, the other is a guy who carves Santa’s for a living.
But what does Bill Gates and Dave Francis have in common? Besides
the fact Francis sells his carvings out of a shop in Kirkland,
Washington — the Home Page of Mr. Gates — more than you might have
thought. In fact, one could argue that Gates and Francis share a
common entrepreneurial spirit and drive to create.

You might remember
Francis From Avenues Hair Salon, he cut hair there for 13 years. He
also sold some of his first carvings to customers at Avenues. He
remembers bringing in one of his early creations and showing it off
to coworkers. A client snatched up his first Santa for $25. A year
later, Francis was approached by a shop and then started selling to
stores in Victoria and Whistler. His success has blossomed ever
since. Sitting in his comfortable, well-maintained workshop — with a
big screen TV and stereo system — Francis explains his typical day
to me. It might go something like this: wake-up in the morning with
an idea for a new Santa; get-up, draw it out on paper; go
downstairs, cut a block of wood; carve and paint a Santa. In
between, there’s other activities like eating, walking the dog and
taking the kids to and from school, but for the most part, that’s
how it works, he explains. With an art school background and more
than 20 years experience as a hairstylist, Francis has developed a
knack for transporting ideas from his mind to paper and then carving
them into wood. “That morning it was an idea in my head, tonight
it’s sitting here in front of me. A brand new Santa, a brand new
design — It’s the only one in the whole world. That’s a cool
feeling,” he smiles. Dave’s wood-carvings are now on every continent

of the world. People
from all walks of life have embraced his work, adding his unique
Santa carvings to their collections. He will travel to Kirkland,
Washington for a show in mid July. It’s being put on by a store that
sells an array of Santa carvings ranging from $20 to $12,000.
Francis will be the only Canadian out of the 12 wood carvers on site
and says it’s his own personal style, infused into every piece he
creates, that sets him apart from the pack. “People recognize my
work because of the style. People are amazed how it’s the same
subject matter, but it’s a totally different look,” he says. “When I
design a piece, or when I carve a piece, I’m carving it for me.”
Francis makes what he wants, and feels fortunate that people have
embraced his work. Likewise, he considers himself an artist first
and salesman second. “If I never sold another piece, I would still
carve,” he says. The love he shares for his work resonates from his
words and actions. Holding up one of his latest creations for me to
view, Francis says, “I’m one of those fortunate people who’ve taken
a hobby or passion and have been able to make enough to pay the
bills.” However, ‘When you do something like this, you don’t do it
for the money.” When it comes down to it, Francis is still in a
little

shock about his
calling and has a good sense of humor about it too. “Good grief, I
make Santa’s for a living, how ridiculous is that:’ he laughs. “The
thing that makes me the most happy about carving these figurines is
the ability to put a smile onto someone’s face when they see them,
that is a very wonderful feeling,” Francis says. To date, Francis
has sold more than 4000 of his signature creations. He has carved
141) Santa’s this year and the demand continues to grow. Francis’
carvings can be found online at
www.snowcottagecarvings.com